Runaway
by Icefire149
Summary: Claire and all of our Mineral Town Bachelors and bachelorettes are children. Cute story of love and how it last between two characters. Graire cuteness! oneshot


**Icefire149 here with an all new story. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Harvest Moon**

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**Runaway**

The blonde rubbed her eyes for the fifth time. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Just when she thought she had no more tears left, her eyes brimmed with new tears instantly. She sniffled again as she looked up at her mom with her big baby blue eyes.

"I told you, because of your father's job we can't stay here."

"Why can't I stay here? My friends are here!" the blonde said, big tears running down her cheeks.

"Because you're only six and I would miss you terribly." her mother said wishing her daughter would stop crying. "Why don't you go say goodbye to your friends, and you must be back in an hour. That's when we're leaving."

The blonde nodded and began running into town to find her best friends. Running into the Inn she yelled "Ann! Gray!" over and over again until the siblings appeared.

"Claire! I heard the bad news!" Ann yelled running down the stairs to Claire. Instantly she hugged her best friend and began to cry. "Why do you have to move?" she said in a small voice and letting go of the hug. Her eyes were big and tears ran down her face.

"I don't want to go. I want to stay here." the blonde said crying.

"Don't cry Claire." Gray said giving the blonde a hug.

"Claire you only want to stay so you can be with Gray!" Ann said crossing her arms and scowling.

"It's not Claire's fault she loves me." Gray said turning to flash a grin at Ann and tightening his embrace on the blonde.

"I just really love Gray. I love his cute smile, sparkling blue eyes, and his red hair." the blonde said.

Ann said rolling her eyes, "Sometimes I think you love his hair the most."

"It's just so red, and soft. It's cute, but I love Gray the best." the blonde said smiling.

"Stay here with me." Gray said looking at Claire.

"I want to. I want to stay here with you, Ann, and everyone else. But my mom won't let me."

"Why?" Ann said.

"She says I'm only six. I can't stay here by myself." the blonde said looking at the floor.

"Well I'm only six and Gray's eight. But you're not going to be alone, you got us." Ann said.

"I never thought of that. Maybe if we tell my mom that she will let me stay."

"Lets tell her now." Ann said walking up to the blonde, grabbing her wrist and began pulling her out the door. Gray followed behind.

The blonde and her two friends went running to find the blonde's mom. It wasn't long until they found her.

"Mom!" the blonde yelled.

The woman turned around and looked at her daughter. "Claire you still got some time until we're leaving. Why are you back so soon?"

"Ann wants to tell you something." the blonde said taking a step back towards Gray.

Ann looked at the blonde then took a step forward. "I think Claire should stay here with us. She wants to stay."

"Ann, I know Claire wants to stay. But she can't stay here all alone."

"But she won't be alone. She's got me, Gray, and everyone else here in Mineral Town." Ann said.

"Ann sweetheart I know you all love Claire dearly, but I would miss her so much." the blonde's mother said sincerely.

"But we're going to miss her lots!" Ann said beginning to cry.

"I know sweetheart. But…..we can always come to visit."

"Really?" Ann said rubbing her eyes.

"Yup. So why don't you all go and have some fun until Claire and I have to go."

"Ok." the children said in unison.

The children retreated to their secret tree house out in the woods. One by one they entered the tree house making sure no one was following.

"I don't want to wait for visits. I want to stay." the blonde said sitting down crying.

"Don't cry Claire." Gray said sitting down next to her.

"I'm going to miss you so much Claire. You're my best friend." Ann said, eyes brimming with tears.

"You're my best friend too. Both of you are my best friends." the blonde said.

"Then stay." Gray said looking at the blonde.

"I don't have a choice."

"Yes you do."

"How am I suppose to stay?"

"Runaway………………with me." Gray mumbled, his own eyes brimming with tears now.

"What?!" Ann yelled, standing up now. Tears running down her face. "I'm losing my best friend now my brother too!"

"Ann, calm down. I was meaning that by running away we run away to here."

"That's a good idea." the blonde said wiping the tears from her face.

"Ann, you can tell people you have no idea where we are. But you can bring us food and things." Gray said.

"Ok." Ann said.

"Are we all agreed?" the blonde said.

"Agreed." they all said in unison.

~*~

What the three children didn't know was that they were not alone. Only one other knew about the tree house. And she was about to enter when she realized the others were there.

Mary had always been best friends with Claire, Ann, and Gray. But when Gray and Claire began liking each other she couldn't stay friends with them. She always liked Gray. Always. When she heard that Claire was moving she was sad for her, but she was jumping for joy at the same time. With Claire gone, Gray could be hers.

"Runaway………………with me." Mary could hear Gray mumble.

She began leaning closer hoping to hear more.

"What?!" Ann yelled. "I'm losing my best friend now my brother too!"

"Ann, calm down. I was meaning that by running away we run away to here." Gray said.

"That's a good idea." said Claire.

"Ann, you can tell people you have no idea where we are. But you can bring us food and things." Gray said.

"Ok." Ann said.

"Are we all agreed?" the blonde said.

"Agreed." they all said in unison.

What? They are going to run away? They can't. They just can't! I can't let them do this. Mary ran away from the tree house after Ann left and disappeared towards town. She wanted her old friends to be happy, yet at the same time she knew she had to stop them.

They can't runaway because everyone would miss them. And she didn't know what she would do if she didn't see Gray every day.

Mary ran as fast as she could to find Claire's mom. She knew they would hate her forever if they knew, but she just had to tell someone.

"Claire's mom! Claire's mom!" Mary yelled as she got closer to her.

The woman turned around and looked at the small raven haired child. "What's wrong Mary?" she asked sweetly.

"I overheard Gray and Claire talking. They are planning on running away so you won't make her leave."

"Do you know where they are now?"

Mary looked at the ground for a moment then back up at the blonde's mom. Slowly she nodded.

"Can you take me to my daughter right now?"

Mary nodded again. Taking a few steps she stopped and turned to look at the woman. "Don't tell them I told you. They would hate me if they knew."

"I promise I won't tell."

Mary led the blonde's mom in the right direction. Then told her where to go to find the tree house.

~*~

"Will we be together forever?" the blonde asked, turning to face Gray.

"I think so." Gray said smiling.

"I love you." the blonde said leaning her head on the boy's shoulder.

"I love you too." he said.

"CLAIRE? WHERE ARE YOU?" yelled the blonde's mom coming closer to the secret tree house.

"Oh no. My mom." the blonde whispered as she crawled over to the window to look.

"Shh. If we're quiet she won't know where we are."

"Claire! I know your out here somewhere. I know about the tree house."

"How does she know?" the blonde said looking panicked at Gray.

"I don't know." he whispered.

"Claire! Come down from there!"

The blonde looked down from the window and saw her mom looking right at her. Her breath stopped.

"I can see you. Come down here right now. You too Gray."

The blonde crawled away from the window and looked at Gray. He was just mirroring her panicked expression right back at her.

Slowly they both climbed out of the tree house. They stood as close as they possibly could as they waited for the blonde's mom to say something.

"Claire I hope you had fun on your last day here, because we got to go now." she said grabbing the girl's hand and gently began pulling her away.

"No!" the blonde yelled as she grabbed Gray's hand to drag him with her.

"Claire honey, I understand. But we have to go. I'm sorry." she said picking her daughter up so she had to let go of Gray. She began walking away.

The blonde just stared at the one person she loved most. She didn't want to leave, but she had no choice. She just stared as he stared back, tears silently running down his face.

~***~

Over the years the blonde could never get her parents to let her visit Mineral Town. As she got older she learned that her parents never liked it there. That was why they left. Her parents were hoping that by moving at her young age she would forget and move on, but she didn't. The blonde refused to forget the place and the people she loved most.

The day she turned eighteen she was on her way back to the place she loved most. She would rather live in the small fairy-tale like town than living in the city. Using all of her savings she bought a farm in Mineral Town. She just couldn't wait to see her old friends.

~*~

The day Claire left was the saddest day of everyone's life, it seemed. She was always a tangible ray of sunshine. The second I told her mother that she planned to runaway I was drowned with a wave of guilt. That wave never left, it still drowns me to this day. But in a way I got what I wanted, Gray.

When Claire left I became friends with Ann and Gray again. But it wasn't the same, they weren't the same. Ann was still hyper and cheery, but whenever something reminded her of her best friend she would burst out crying. But in the end she handled it quite well. Every year she waited to see her friend come for a visit like the blonde's mother promised.

Gray on the other hand didn't handle it well. He was never the same. When Claire was there he was happy, and cheerful. Without Claire he disappeared. He never smiled, barely spoke, most of the time he was angry, and when he didn't want to deal with something he hid in the hat he began wearing not long after the blonde left.

As we grew up I just prayed he would get through it and move on. So I always stayed there, hoping he would begin to return my feelings for him. The older we got I took over my parents library and he began working in his grandpa's blacksmith shop. Everyday he would visit but he barely spoke. He just lost himself in books every chance he got.

Ding!

The sound of the bell over the door interrupting my thoughts. Mary looked up and at the door to see Gray coming in and walking over to the shelves of books. "Good morning Gray." Mary said smiling.

He looked at me and nodded.

Mary looked down at her papers and began getting lost in thought again when something interrupted it.

Ding!

She looked up and saw what she never thought she would see, Claire.

"Claire?" the name slipped through her lips.

The blonde looked at Mary and smiled, "Yes."

Mary just looked at the blonde like she thought she saw a ghost. She just couldn't be there.

"Do you know where I can find Gray?" the blonde said.

"Mary did you say something." a voice said from the bookshelves. Instantly the blonde knew who the voice was.

The blonde ran towards the sound until she saw the person she was looking for. She smiled as his eyes met hers.

"Claire?" he said looking at her in disbelief.

"When did you start wearing a hat? You know I've always loved your cute, red hair." the blonde said taking the hat off of Gray. Looking down at the hat then back up at the blacksmith apprentice the blonde said, "Do you still want to runaway?"

Gray just smiled.

The End

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**I hope you all enjoyed this short Graire story. It's mainly just Graire cuteness. It was fun to write. I enjoyed writing about the Mineral Town characters as children. Please review so I know if you liked this story or not, please. No bad comments though. Thank you.**


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